Hayward Man Travels to Berlin Memorial Hospital for Surgery
When Rick Lessard first saw Community Health Network orthopedic surgeon David Jones, MD, more than a year ago, he could barely walk. Although just 56, Lessard had severe arthritis in both hips.
After an initial consultation, Dr. Jones recommended anterior approach hip replacement surgery, which is less invasive and has a faster recovery than traditional hip replacement surgery. Lessard had surgery on his right hip in November 2013, and just one month later he returned for the same surgery on his left hip. Now one year later, he’s enjoying regular activities without the intense pain he experienced before.
According to Dr. Jones, Berlin Memorial Hospital was one of the first hospitals in Wisconsin offering the anterior approach hip replacement. This new procedure offers many benefits to patients. “Patients who have the anterior approach hip replacement have a quicker recovery, a much lower dislocation rate and have no hip precautions following the surgery,” said Jones.
Lessard heard about this new procedure from his brother-in-law, CHN family practitioner Michael Shattuck, MD. He traveled from his hometown of Hayward in northern Wisconsin to Berlin Memorial Hospital for the surgeries.
“I’m feeling great. The team in Berlin did an awesome job. They made sure everything was taken care of,” said Lessard. He is very grateful he made the decision to come to Berlin for the hip replacement. “It was definitely worth traveling all that way to have the surgery done. It was a wonderful procedure and I was able to go back home and work on the rehab there.”
Anterior hip replacement surgery differs from traditional hip replacement surgery by keeping muscles and tissues intact. During the operation, the surgeon works between the patient’s muscles and tissue and doesn’t need to detach them from either the hip or thighbones. That leads to a faster recovery and improved mobility since the tissues are spared, Dr. Jones said.
In addition, the surgeon uses a small incision on the front of the patient’s hip instead of the back or side so there’s less pain from sitting on the incision site.
Dr. Jones said he was very happy with the outcome of both surgeries, and the ability to offer Lessard a second chance at living an active life.
